Cow-milking machine.



PATENTED JUNE 23, 1908.

W. W. SPRAGUE. COW MILKING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2' 7, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 891,506. PATENTED JUNE-23, 1908.

W. W. SPRAGUE. 00W MILKING MAGHINB.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

FFG.

WILLIAM W. SPRAGUE, or MONMOUTH, MAINE. v

' QoW-MILKING MACHINE.

No. 891,506. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 23, 1908. Application filed. April 27, 1907. Serial No. 370,609.

To all whom it may concern: tionson the lines 5- and 6-6, respec- Be it known that I, WILLIAM W. SPRAGUE, tively, of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal seca citizen of the United States, residing at tional view through the valve and valve- Monmouth, in the county of Kennebec and casin 5 State of Maine, have invented certain new Ref rring to the drawings, 10 may indiand useful Improvements in Cow-Milking cate the upper portion of a milk pail, and 11 Machines, of which the following is-a specifithe lid or cover secured thereon with an incatlon. tervening gasket 12 to secure a substantially This invention relates to cow-milking maair-tight joint. Tapped in the cover 11 at 65 o chines of that type employing avacuum apone side thereof is a nipple 13 adapted for paratus operating in connection with a pul .connection to a suitable hose leading to a sating mechanism through suitable flexible vacuum chamber or other source of suction. tubes and teat-cups to produce the flow of Tapping the cover 11 at another oint theremilk through alternate suctions and lapses in is an elbow pipe section 14 (Fig. 3), the 7 15 upon the teats and udder of the animal; and vertical member of which has a single duct the invention ertains more especially to a 15 communicating with the milk pail, while novel and simp ified pulsating mechanism. the horizontal member is provided with a Most, if not all, of the successful cow-milkpair oi parall l ducts 16 and 17, the former ing machines at present in use employ some of which connects with the vertical duct 15' 75 form of pulsating mechanism in order tosimto effect a continuous passage. Threaded ulate, as} closely as possible, the suck and onto the end of the horizontal member of and relaX- \the elbow-pipe is a coupling sleeve 18 havlapse of the calf, or the squeezi ing action of the hand, in the mi king 0 eration; and many such mechanisms have een therein to permit observation ofthe gflow' of so devised, some of which are mechanically and milk through a section of glass tubing 20 others pneumatically operated. But such l lyin within the said sleeve. Threaded into devices as are now known are of complicated the orward end of the sleeve 18 and secured structure, difficult to keep clean, costlyto thereon as by a lock-nut21 is a nipple-memmanufacture, and liable to disarrangement;

ing one or more sight openings 19 formed ber 22 adapted for connection with a suit- 5 and the principal object of my present 1nable hose leading to the usual teat-cups, and

vention is to produce a simple and in'expenfurther provided with a stop-cock 23. sive device of thisnature,rehableand eflicient In the horizontal member of the elbowin action, and easy to keep clean' and sanipipe 14 is formed a circular horizontal valvetary; and to this end the invention consists seat 24, within which is fitted a circular 90 in an ap aratus constructed and 0 crating valve-body 25. This valve is interposed besubstantially as and upon the prin cip e of the tween the adjacent ends of the duct 15 on mechanism disclosed in the accom anying the one side and the parallel ducts 16 and 17 drawings and defined in the appende claims. on the other, and is provided with two airs My invention, in its preferred mechanical of crossed ports located sideby side an dis- 95 form as hereinafter described, comprehends, posed, respectively, in the planes of theas its novel element, the feature of a rotary bores or ducts 16 and 17. The two ports of valve provided with two ports or groups of each pair are disposed at right angles to each orts so arranged and disposed between and other, as illustrated in the detail views, Figs. relativel to the teat-cups, the source of suc- 5 and 6, each ort extending entirely through 100 tion, and the atmosphere, as to produce, unthe valve-b0 y transversely thereof; and the der continuous rotation thereof, alternating two pairs of ports are relatively so disposed suction and relief 'eifects on the teats of the as to make one pair 45 degrees ahead of or animal, and will be readily understood when behind the other pair, as is also clearly shown considered in connection with the accompal in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. -The ports that are 105 nying drawings, in which, I adapted to register with the duct 16 wh ch Figure 1 is an elevational view of my apcommunicates with thcunilk pail are desig- )aratus as a plied .to the lid or cover of a nated by 26 and 26, wlnle the corresponding milk pail. ig. 2 is a top plan view of the 1 ports of the her pair are designated by 27 same. Fig. 3 1s a vertical section on the line and '27. The valve-body is still furtherpro- 110 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation oi 9 vided with a short axial port 28 (Fig. 7) that a rotary valve. Figs. 5 and 6 are cross-sec- 1 leads from the outer end of the valve-body I tion.

into and communicates with the intersection trally apertured cap 29 threaded thereon, as

shown in Fig. 7; while a similar cap 30 is threaded onto the op osite end of the valvecasing or housing an is adapted to contain a body of cotton 31 which .may be confined therein byan apertured covering disk 32,

' and constitutes a-filter or strainer for the air passing therethrough, as more particularly ereinafter described.

Secured on the lid 11 of the milk screws 33 (Figs' 1, and 2) alongsi ail as by e ofthe motor conven-v his motor ma be driving shaft indicated at 35 a continuous rotation at a proper-speed suitable for the purpose of the apparatus, which speed'may, if desired, be automatically regulated by a suitable automatic governor (not'lshown) these devices being matters of common knowledge and well understood. The driving shaft 35 is directly secured to the inner end of the rotary valve-body 25, as clearly shown in the detail view, Fig. 7.

In the operation of the apparatus, the teatcups are applied, the nipple13 is placed in communication with the vacuum reservoir or other source of suction, the stop-cock 23 1s.

opened, and the motor 34 is started in opera- The continuous rotation of the valve 25 first places the t'eat-cups in communication with the vacuum through one of the orts 26 or 26, say the latter, as shown inig. 3, thus starting the flow of milk, which is quickly followed by an interruption of the out of registration with the bore or duct pipe 14 in which it is mounted. Upon the instant that the suction is interrupted, the.

port 27 comesinto register with the duct 17,

whereby atmospheric air enters through the cap 30 and port 2S,to relieve the partial vacuum existing in the teat-cups and tubes, thus producing a lapse. This relief is, how- 'ever, of such a brief duration that the vacuum in the teat-cups and tubes is not reduced to such a point as to release the former from the teats. The relief produced'by the admission of atmospheric air is instantly followed by another suction efieet caused by the registration ofthe port 26 with the duct 15, which is in turn instantly followed by another lapse or relief effect produced through the registration of the port 27 with the\airport 17. The continuoi rotation of the valve 25 in one direction thus sets 11 these repeatedly alternrtingsuction an relief effects, which produces a flow of milk after of the elbowthe fashion of the suck and lapse of the calf, or the s ueezing and relaxing action of the hand, w ich flow of milk may be observed through the openings 19 and glass tube 20,

so as to shut ofi the o eration of the appa-. ratus as soon as the mi k has been exhausted from the udder. 1

The apparatus is readily-cleansed by simply placing the fteat-cups in hot water and setting the apparatus in operation, which ism, requiring no delicate adjustments and nocomplicated mechanism for actuating the pulsator. I

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the particular forms; proportions and relative arrangements of parts as herein "disclosed is not essential to the successful working of the ap aratus, but may be'varied considerably. without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim:

1. In a cow-milking machine, the combination with a milk receptacle, and a cover therefor, of a teat-cu connection to said receptacle through sai cover,- a suction con- 'nection to'said receptacle through said cover, a rotary two-way valve interposed in and across said teat-cup connection adapted to place the latter alternately in communication with the suction and the atmosphere, and a-mo'tor mounted on said cover connected to and continuously rotating said valve in one direction, substantially as described.

2. A pulsating mechanism'for cow-milkin machines, comprising a pipe-section adapted for connection at one end to the milk receptacle and at the other end to a conductor leading from the teat-cups, said pipe-section having a main duct establishing communication between said conductor and milk receptacle, a valve-seat formed transversely of said main duct, and a relief duct between said valve-seat and said conductor, a rotary valve lying in said valve-seat and provided with separate ports ada ted to alternately open said main duct and connect said relief duct with the atmosphere, and. a motor for rotating said valve, substantially as described.

3. A pulsating mechanism forcow-milking machines, comprising a pipe-section adapte for connection at one end to the milk receptacle and at the other end to .a conductor having a main duct establishing communica lZlOIl' between said conductor and milk recepleading from the teat-cups, said pipe-section main duct and also with a relief port comsaid relief duct alternate ductor end of said '5 ing provided with a pair of intersecting transmunieating at one end with the atmosphere and at the other end ada ted to register with y with the registration of said transverse port with the main duct, and a motor for rotating said valve, substantially as described.

4. A pulsating mechanism for cow-milking machines, comprising an elbow pipe-section the lower end whereof is adapted for connection to the cover of the milk rece tacle and the other end whereof is adapted orconnection to a tubeleading from the teat-cups, said pipe-section having a main duct extending entirely therethrough, a circular valveseat formed across said main duct and 0 en atone end to the atmosphere, and a re ief duct'connecting said valve-seat with the'conipe-section, a rotary valve lying in said va ve-seat, said valve beverse ports adapted to be alternately brought "into register with said main duct, and with another pair of intersecting transverse ports said main duct, and arelief duct connecting said valve-seat with the conductor end of sai adapted to register with-said relief duct, and an axial port communicating therewith at their pointiof intersection, one of said pairs of transverse ports having an angular lead over the other, and .a motor imparting a continuous rotatiorr" in one direction to said valve, substantially'as described. I

5-. Apulsatingmechanism for cow-milkin machines, comprising apipe-sectioniadapte for-connection at one end to the milk receptacle'and at the other end to a conductor leading from the. teat-cups, said pipe-section having a main duct extending entirel therethrough, a clrcular valve-seat forme across pi e-section, a rotary valve lying in said va ve-seat and provided with suction and re-- lief ports adapted to' alternately establish communication of said main and relief ducts with the milk receptacle and the atmosphere, respectively, an air filter covering the outer en of said relief port, and'a motor for'rotat ing said valve, substantially as described.

WILLIAM w. @ZZSPRAGUE. mar Witnesses:

SIMON. CLOUGH,

'- "A. M. TRASK. 

